“She said she’d prefer to die than feel your hands exploring her body again. I’d kill you if you had harmed her or ever do. She’s mine.”
Lauren saw the pure anger on 140’s features, the way his hands fisted in his lap, and how his chest rose and fell harshly as he seemed to pant through a fit of rage.
“He isn’t going to do shit to her,” Mary swore, trying to keep the peace for once. “I took care of it when he molested her, didn’t I?” She twisted in her seat and stared at 140. “Calm down now. That’s an order. Remember our deal? You do as you’re told and no harm comes to your girlfriend. Marvin is going to keep his big mouth shut from now on or I’ll personally pinch something far more painful than his arm.”
The glimpse Lauren was getting into 140’s life made her angry enough to want to reach forward and break Marvin’s neck herself. Of course she wasn’t strong enough but she regretted he hadn’t been the one she’d had to stab with the letter opener. The fact that she’d killed someone was pushed back. She couldn’t deal with that now. Besides, the more time she spent with the arguing pair in front, the more justified it seemed.
“What is her name?” Lauren kept her voice down and hoped to distract the still-furious New Species.
He turned his chilly gaze on her and his nose flared. “Mine.”
She let that slide, not really believing that the woman had that name. His gaze jerked to the driver and she knew that statement of possession had been for the driver’s benefit.
“Is she feline like you or canine like…” She almost said Wrath’s name. “My mate.”
“She’s primate.”
“Oh.” Lauren hesitated. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of them yet.”
“I thought you were mated to one.” Mary frowned at her from the front seat. “A lot of them survived.”
Lauren met the bitch’s stare evenly. “I am. My mate is canine and all the people I’ve met at Homeland have either been that or feline.”
“Primates aren’t common.” 140 spoke. “They didn’t make as many of them. What is Homeland?”
“Shut up,” Mary snapped. “Don’t tell him a damn thing about the NSO. Got it, Lauren? Not a word.”
She was tempted to keep right on talking but 140 shook his head. She sealed her lips together and clenched her teeth. She would bet that Mary didn’t want 140 to know about any of his people being free. It would give him hope that he could be rescued too.
The car slowed and turned. Lauren glanced out the window and realized they’d entered an old part of town where a lot of businesses had closed due to the bad economy. It had really turned into a slum in the years since she’d frequented the area in her late teens and early twenties. Boarded-up windows became a common sight as they continued to drive down a few narrow streets.
“Do you know where we are?”
Lauren met Mary’s calculating eyes and shook her head. “The east side of town. I am a realtor and I know my properties.” They were actually on the border area of the south side and almost out of the city limits.
That answer made the other woman smirk. “Yes, you sure do know your areas.” She faced the front of the car, dismissing Lauren.
They turned into a driveway blocked by an old security gate. Mary flipped down the visor and hit a remote. The gate shook and wobbled as it began to roll sideways to allow the car to pass through. Recognition struck Lauren instantly. The place had once been a popular nightclub. Jasper’s had a new name painted on the back of the decrepit building, some restaurant name, but she was sure it was one and the same.
140 gripped Lauren’s wrist gently when they parked and he kept hold of her as they exited the car. He faced Mary with a defiant glare.
“I have done everything you ordered and I have behaved. I want to see my female now.”
Mary crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin and glowered at him. “Do you? You are sounding a bit too confident.”
“Please,” he hissed and lowered his gaze to the cracked tar.
That seemed to make the bitch happy and she dropped her arms to her sides. “Fine. Take her to a cage and you can go downstairs. I’ll make the call.”
“Thank you.” 140 tugged on Lauren. “Come.”
The back door was rusted metal. Marvin unlocked it with a key on the car ring and it squeaked loudly when it opened. The interior was dark and the smell of mold, dust, and stale air assaulted Lauren’s nose instantly. The floor felt uneven under her shoes as they walked through what used to be a kitchen. Outdated, stained, and broken cooking appliances indicated it hadn’t been used in at least a few years.
Shock gripped her when they stepped out of the kitchen area into what used to be the dance area of the club. The windows were all boarded up and debris from parts of the ceiling littered the floor. Some broken tables had been shoved against the stained walls but it was the five large animal cages that made her stumble. They were about eight feet high, maybe six feet square and three of them were occupied. New Species males stood staring back at her from behind the bars.
They wore sweatpants, no shirts, and all looked as if they could use a bath. One of them growled—a dangerous sound—and his dark eyes fixed on Lauren. A chill ran down her spine at seeing the hatred directed at her as she glanced at each one.
“It is fine,” 140 assured her.
He led her to one of the empty cages, putting her the farthest away from the men, and steered her inside. The floor was solid metal while the walls and ceiling were barred with inch-thick bars. He closed the door and Marvin moved close with the keys. The sound of it being locked was distinctive.
“Go, 140. Mark is expecting you. If you misbehave before you’re locked in your girlfriend’s cage, he’s been told to shoot her in the head.”
“I know.” 140 spun, marched through another hallway that used to lead to the bathrooms, and was out of sight.
Marvin stepped closer to Lauren and lowered his gaze to her chest. “Do you want to eat?”
She said nothing but backed away from the door, not that she could go far.
“You do something for me and I’ll return the favor.”
“You’re really pathetic and repulsive. I can totally understand why a troll like you would have to lock a woman up and threaten to starve her to try to make her touch your ugly ass. No thanks. I’d rather eat my shoe.”
“Fucking bitch,” he spat. “Wait a few days and say that then.”
She turned her back on him to prevent him from ogling her breasts anymore and observed how much the old club had changed. The roof obviously leaked from the appearance of the yellowed and destroyed ceiling panels and the walls were stained. Someone had wallpapered near the boarded-up windows. It was peeling and blackened around the edges, which she figured was the source of the moldy smell that made her breathe through her mouth.
She glanced at the only light sources—the hallways from the kitchen and bathrooms. No lights were on in the open space. She doubted the overhead lights worked anymore due to the water damage.
The only thing inside her cage was a balled-up nasty-looking blanket in one corner.
“I’ll let you use the bathroom if you open your shirt while you go.”
Lauren spun and flipped him off. “I’d rather piss down my legs.”
The guy’s face turned bright red. He huffed and yanked the keys from his pocket. She tensed when he reached to unlock the door, knew he planned to hurt her, but someone walked out of the kitchen.
“Leave her alone, Marvin!” Mary yelled. “Jesus. You are a troll. Get your ass over here and follow me to the office. We have work to do.”
Marvin hesitated but Mary turned around and disappeared. His voice lowered as he shoved the keys back inside his pocket.
“I’m going to hurt you, bitch. Don’t get too smug. Just wait.”
Lauren watched him go and figured he meant the threat. The creep was a total perverted asshole. She faced the three New Species when they were alone and felt fear at their hateful s
crutiny. But they were locked up too. They couldn’t get to her.
“I’m Lauren.”
No one spoke.
She gripped the bars and gave them a firm shake but they were as solid as they appeared. She took a deep breath, blew it out and studied each one of the men. Two of them had feline traits while one had eyes shaped very similar to Wrath and Shadow’s.
“Why are you looking at me that way? I’m locked up too and I am not with those assholes. I’m a good guy.”
One of them frowned. “You’re female.”
“Yeah.”
“A guy is a male.”
Her mouth parted, stunned that he took what she’d said so literally. The blond one with catlike eyes sniffed the air. “She smells good. Maybe they want to do breeding tests.”
“Breeding tests?” Her eyes widened. She understood they thought she might have been brought for them to have sex with and wanted to clear that misconception up immediately. “I was kidnapped so they could exchange me for other people. I’m not here to do any testing.”
The dark-haired canine growled. “I want her. It’s been too long since I had a female under me.”
“It’s going to be a lot longer because that’s not happening.” She frowned. “I’m hoping we’re all found and rescued soon.”
The one who’d been silent until then, a golden-haired feline, hissed. “By who?”
“The NSO. They’ll be looking for me, well one of them will be, and if he finds me, he’ll find you too.”
“Who is he? What kind of name is NSO?”
“The NSO is the shortened name for the New Species Organization.” She paused, realized by their blank stares that they didn’t comprehend, and remembered they probably didn’t know anything. Her guess was that they’d never been freed and she figured she was spot on about that since Mary had told her to shut up about the subject.
“New Species are like you, the people Mercile Industries created. My kind found out about what was being done to yours so they broke into the testing facilities and freed your people.” She paused, expecting some kind of reaction, but their facial expressions never changed.
“They started the NSO. Your people have two large plots of land where they all live together and they search for New Species just like you who haven’t been freed. Hopefully they will find us and we’ll all be rescued.”
The blond snorted. “She is here to taunt us.” He turned his back, crouched down and sat on the floor. “Ignore her.”
“That’s rude and I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know why you’re in this place but I’ve heard enough to know the jerks who are holding you here used to work for Mercile Industries.”
“They still do,” the dark-haired canine snarled. “You are with them.”
“I am not. Don’t insult me like that. Mercile Industries no longer exists. They were exposed, put out of business, and everyone who worked in their research divisions and knew about the testing facilities are wanted by the police. They are facing serious criminal charges. I read that a lot of them are already serving extended prison time.”
“Be silent. Lies.” The canine snarled again.
He was staring to piss her off. “Don’t listen to me but once I get out of here I’m going to do everything I can to send help back to you. You’ll see then.” She paced the small space. “Wrath will get me out of here.” She had faith that he’d save her somehow, even if he did have to exchange her life for Mel and her other ex-coworkers.
The canine growled again. “I hope they brought her here to try to gain our trust and make us believe her lies. I will not be kind or gentle when I mount her.”
The golden-haired Species growled. “Enough. She’s human and they’d never hand her over to one of us. Did you see the way 140 treated her? The way he gently touched her? He implied she wasn’t the enemy. He knows more about her than we do and I saw no rage in his eyes when he looked at her. I don’t know why she is here but don’t make threats until we know more.”
“She’s one of them.” The canine growled again. “Our enemy. They are all evil and tell lies to try to fool us into doing what they want. She is planning something.”
“I’m planning on getting out of here.” She moved to the door of the cage again, gripped the bars and rattled the thing. Frustration rose. “I’ll do everything in my power to send the NSO to rescue you.”
“Human lies,” the canine snarled.
“I resent that.” She frowned, rattled the door again, but wasn’t willing to give up just yet. Maybe she could shake the lock loose. “I get that you have been mistreated. I can’t imagine all you’ve suffered but what I said is the truth. A lot of your people have been freed, they aren’t locked up anymore and they will be searching for you just as soon as I tell them what I know.”
“What does free mean?” The golden-haired feline squatting in his cage watched her with narrowed eyes.
“You won’t be locked up anymore, no one will hurt you, and we’re equal.” She glanced at him.
“What does that mean?”
She turned away from the door to face him and sighed. “It means you have the same rights as I do. We’re not enemies but instead friends. No one will test you anymore. You’ll have homes instead of cages and you never have to deal with assholes like the ones who have you now.”
The canine snorted. “Next she will say we will get to eat when we are hungry, get clean when we are dirty, and get access to females when we want one.”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
The blond turned his head and shot her a glare. “How many of us are a part of this NSO?”
“I don’t know the exact numbers but hundreds at least.”
“Lies,” he growled, jerking his gaze away to give her the back of his head.
“Are any of our females there? Were they freed?”
Lauren met and held the curious gaze of the golden-haired feline. “Yes. There aren’t a lot of them, from what I understand, but my best friend said she met a bunch of them.”
“What is the bad news of this?” The canine was obviously the grim one of the bunch. “There is always a price. What do they expect for those privileges?”
“There is no they. I assume you think it’s like here where they threaten you to make you do what they want or you’re punished? I know they are holding 140’s girlfriend over his head. The NSO are your people. They just want you to be happy.”
“Lies,” the blond hissed.
Lauren knew they didn’t trust her, thought she was making stuff up, so she stopped trying. The only way to show them she wasn’t full of shit would be to survive long enough to hopefully be exchanged and then she could tell Wrath about them. Maybe the NSO could arrive before they were moved.
Chapter Fifteen
Wrath strode quickly from the SUV and knew Brass and Shadow followed him. The sun had gone down, he was late—they’d been stuck in traffic—and he hoped Lauren hadn’t given up on him and gone to bed. His excitement over seeing her could barely be contained.
He was about ten feet from her door when the smells filled his nose and he jerked to a halt. He sniffed loudly, knew the two males with him did the same, and he snarled. The smell came from Lauren’s home and he could see that her front door hadn’t been closed completely. He lunged, shoved it all the way open and alarm shot through him.
Brass moved to his side and sniffed. “Three human males, one human female, and a Species male.”
“Do you smell that?” Shadow hissed. “Mercile.”
“I do.”
Fear shot through Wrath as another smell filled his nose. Blood, decay and death. He rushed forward, terrified he’d find Lauren’s body as the source, but a human male lay crumpled on the floor in the darkness. It took only seconds for his eyes to adjust but one of the males flipped on the light.
“Lauren?” He yelled her name, rushed for her bedroom and halted again when he saw the destruction of the doorframe.
Shadow gripped his shou
lder. “Someone broke through it.”
A snarl tore from Wrath and he stepped over books that were spilled over her floor. The scent of the unknown male Species was stronger in her room, the only scent he could detect besides Lauren’s, and he saw the busted bathroom door. The counter had damage from where a broken drawer had been ripped out. He was inside in seconds, stared at the open window and jumped up on the counter.
“The human is dead,” Brass growled.
Wrath spun, pain shot through his chest, and he met the male’s eyes.
“The male. Not Lauren,” Brass assured him, yanking out his cell phone and holding it to his ear after he dialed. “I’m calling for assistance.”
Wrath gripped the windowsill, had to fight to fit through it and saw signs on the grass of what must have taken place. He tracked the footprints, small ones and large ones, until he found where the male had grabbed her. Her footprints disappeared and the larger ones were deeper with the combined weight of the male and Lauren.
“He carried her,” Shadow stated from behind him.
Wrath followed the tracks around the building and lost them when they reached the sidewalk near Lauren’s door. He rushed back inside, crouched near the dead body and examined it with his gaze.
Shadow gripped the letter opener, jerked it out and sniffed the handle. He looked up and held Wrath’s gaze. “Lauren killed this male. She had to be afraid. I can smell fear and it probably caused her to sweat, including her palms. Her scent lingers on the handle.”
Brass’ voice carried. “We’re scenting an unknown Species male here and he’s got the smell of Mercile.”
“What does that mean?”
Wrath twisted his head and refrained from snarling at the task force male who’d driven them. He’d followed them inside. Lauren was gone and she’d had to kill someone. Wrath’s worst fears filled his mind and he couldn’t even speak around the lump that formed in his throat that she might be dead.
“A Species male has been here but he carries the smell of the soap Mercile always made us use. No free Species would ever purposely touch it.” Shadow straightened. “Go outside and ask the neighbors if anyone saw anything. Bring them here if they did. We need to question them.”